Teaching Channel Talks

You don't have to spend your first year of teaching alone. Learn from Keely Keller and Amy Anderson as they talk with Wendy Amato about how new(er) teachers can find great mentors to help them survive and thrive in the classroom. You'll also hear about the advice that Keely and Amy wish they knew when they started teaching. Get access to more support like this by registering for Cultivate: A Progr...

What if you could engage reluctant readers by asking them to play a video game? On this episode of Teaching Channel Talks, Wendy Amato speaks with Kwamara Thompson about how the Read to Lead program is doing just that. You'll hear about Read to Lead's free games that encourage reading and writing through workplace simulations like managing a health clinic or working as the editor-in-chief at a dig...

Learn from the research of the Teach Like a Champion team as Wendy Amato interviews Doug Lemov and Hilary Lewis about the most important lessons from the 20/21 school year. In this asynchronous conversation, you'll hear specific, actionable strategies that teachers are using to build connections with their students through lesson content and classroom routines. You'll also hear Doug and Hilary's r...

Join Wendy Amato and Michelle Trujillo as they discuss how social-emotional learning (SEL) can take center stage this fall. You'll learn about red flags to look out for in your students and simple but effective emotional check-ins that you can incorporate into any lesson. Wendy and Michelle also chat about how educators who want to focus on SEL need to begin by focusing on adult SEL first.  C...

After the chaos of this school year, many educators are feeling worn down, exhausted, or even burned out. Learn strategies for dealing with uncertainty and stressful situations as Susan Lubar and Wendy Amato discuss ways that educators can incorporate mindfulness into their existing classroom schedules both for themselves and their students. You'll also hear Susan bust a few of the common misconce...

Music is one of the most powerful tools for helping students memorize important lessons. Listen in as early childhood educator and composer Nancy Kopman and Wendy Amato chat about how songs can be used to teach and engage students of any age. You'll also hear Nancy perform a song that she uses to get students "in the zone". Continue Learning Resources Explore more of Nancy's work at nancykopman.co...

In this episode, you'll hear from two educators who attended the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's Belfer Conference and walked away with an entirely new way of teaching. Join Wendy Amato as she speaks with Kalua Lauber and Becky Henderson-Howie  about their experiences at the conference and in the classroom. Registration for the virtual 2021 Belfer National Conference for Educators i...

Teaching the Holocaust is a required part of the curriculum in many states. But how do you teach Holocaust history with the level of sensitivity it deserves? Join United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Program Coordinator  Bethany Nagle  and  Wendy Amato  as they discuss best practices for planning memorable, effective lessons in multiple subjects. You'll also learn about the...

"We're not preparing students to take a test or to earn a diploma. We're preparing them to be independent, successful, resilient, resourceful human beings." Giving students the power of autonomy can be one of the most important skills you'll ever teach. Listen in as CEO of engage2learn Shannon Buerk and Wendy Amato discuss how to use goal-setting to both allow students to take control of their own...

What's the most important thing for teachers and parents to prioritize during hybrid learning? Continue learning from Doug Lemov and Wendy Amato in part 2 of their conversation ( listen to part 1 here! ). In this episode, Doug outlines his strategies for routines that help connect your "Room-ers" and "Zoom-ers" and how to make hybrid lessons feel more purposeful.  Want to hear more from Doug...

Hybrid teaching can feel like being asked to juggle while on a unicycle. What can teachers do to manage both their "Room-ers" and "Zoom-ers"? Listen in as author and educator Doug Lemov  and  Wendy Amato discuss how to engage virtual and in-person students, technology tips, and building a classroom community. Want to hear more from Doug and Wendy? Join a free webinar series to learn more...

How have your life experiences shaped who you are in the classroom? Listen in as author and educator Kwame Sarfo-Mensah  and  Wendy Amato as they discuss the cultural bias in standardized testing, building community connections, and how all educators can have a culturally responsive classroom.  Want to hear more from Kwame and Wendy? Join a free webinar series to learn more about th...

Do teachers get summers off? Listen to the president of iteach Andrew Rozell and  Wendy Amato as they bust a few teaching myths, talk about the greatest classroom moment, and take a look at what needs to change with teacher compensation. You'll also hear about how iteach is providing educators with an alternative path to teacher certification.  Episode Page Continue Learning Learn more a...

Schools are becoming more and more diverse as equity gaps for historically underserved groups grow wider. Join educators Sarah Ottow and Wendy Amato as they discuss their experiences and strategies for teaching ELLs in classrooms all over the world. You'll also hear their thoughts on how teachers can shift their equity mindset and why educators need to stop claiming they're "color blind".  Ep...

What is project-based learning (PBL)? What are the challenges and benefits of this approach to deeper learning? On this episode of  Tch  Talks, we're chatting with the brilliant and creative  Jennifer Pieratt , who is deeply committed to making deeper learning for all students and teachers a reality. Jenny helps us dig into some common questions around PBL, such as: How is PBL...

How might student learning improve if assessments were innovative, authentic, and playful? Learning can — and should — be fun, but when it comes to assessment, teachers can be very serious. However, there’s no need for the fun to stop when the assessments come out. On this episode of  Tch  Talks,  Dr. Yoon Jeon Kim , a research scientist at  MIT Teaching Systems Lab , and ...

School just got out, so hopefully, as an educator, you’re taking time to relax. But we all know that most teachers don’t shut their minds off completely in the summer. You’re probably already thinking about the year ahead. One thing you might be thinking about is how to better serve your English Language Learners (ELLs), especially since they continue to be a growing population in U.S. schools. In...

What's possible for newcomer education? And how can we accelerate language learning, affirm students' identities, and help them get on track to graduation and post-secondary opportunities, while creating a learning community of high supports and high expectations? ENLACE , a program for ninth and tenth grade newcomer students at  Lawrence High School  in Lawrence, Massachusetts, is worki...

Can teachers use spoken word poetry as a tool for literacy, empowerment, engagement, education, and community building across content areas? Poet, performer, and educator  Sarah Kay  says  absolutely, YES!  Sarah is a founder and co-director of  Project VOICE , an organization that uses spoken word poetry to entertain, educate, and inspire. Through  Project VOICE , Sa...

What are the questions that your students carry inside of them but rarely ever discuss? 2015 National Teacher of the Year  Shanna Peeples  wanted to find out. What started as a small idea or strategy to help students build empathy transformed into nearly 15 years of work helping children -- and adults -- voice the questions they carry inside them. On this episode of  Tch  Talks...

When teachers solve problems, they inspire their students to solve problems, too. How can teachers use their best strategies as a launching pad for deeper learning and professional growth? And how can curiosity, co-creation, and collaboration before a lesson idea is formed be a game-changer for classroom practice? On this episode of  Tch  Talks,  Ashley Lamb-Sinclair , Instructional...

What is Critical Creativity? To  Dan Ryder  and  Amy Burval , critical creativity is “students using creative expression to demonstrate deeper thinking and the nuances of understanding content.” It's a portmanteau of sorts, which has the potential to turn ideas into action and push your students toward deeper learning and meaningful understanding. Dan and Amy believe that, “When stu...

Does social-emotional learning really make a difference for at-risk students?  In Part Three of our series on Social and Emotional Learning,  Daniel McCutchen , a recently graduated student from Austin High School in Austin, Texas, joins  Tch  Talks to discuss his experiences in an intentional SEL-dedicated course. Daniel is not only a former learner, but also attends national...

Students may be the experts when it comes to the world of  Minecraft , but teachers are the experts in curriculum design. Teachers can use what they know best to design engaging, real-world experiences within Minecraft that are aligned with curriculum and standards and focused on a learning goal. Students can use the tools within Minecraft to show evidence of their learning, document their pr...

LaVonna Roth  is passionate, driven, successful, and accomplished. Yet, following what has become a theme among the women I’ve interviewed, she's human and thus, is challenged at times by her own self-doubt. As the founder of S.H. I. N. E. (an acronym for Service, Heart, Inspire, Navigate, and Exceptional), LaVonna engages teachers and students in “funshops” where they work to reflect on thei...